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History comes into play as Crew, D-backs swap HBPs

6/17/14: One pitch after throwing behind Ryan Braun, Evan Marshall hits Braun in the backside and gets ejected from the game

By Steve Gilbert
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MLB.com |

PHOENIX -- The D-backs may have extracted their measure of flesh from the Brewers on Tuesday night when they plunked outfielder Ryan Braun, but they certainly didn't get in the last word.

That belonged to Milwaukee's Jonathan Lucroy, who followed the hit-by-pitch with a grand slam that capped a five-run seventh inning and led the Brewers to a come-from-behind, 7-5 win.

"You know what?" Brewers starter Kyle Lohse said. "They won tough-guy points today. But I don't know where the stats are for those. We won the game because of that. It was pretty unnecessary."

The HBPs between the two teams started in Monday's series opener, when D-backs outfielder Gerardo Parra was hit by a Wily Peralta pitch in the seventh inning. Parra and Peralta glared at each other as Parra went to first base.

On Tuesday, D-backs infielder Didi Gregorius was hit by a pitch to lead off the first, and shortstop Chris Owings was hit in the sixth.

Later that same inning, when D-backs starter Mike Bolsinger squared to bunt, a pitch sailed over his head.

All three of those pitches were thrown by Lohse.

"Sometimes down here with the dry air, I don't get the same movement with my fastball and sometimes it pops out," Lohse said. "I've never been that wild. Obviously, I didn't mean to do that."

Things got heated in the seventh, when the Brewers scored a run and had runners on second and third with one out and Braun stepping into the box against rookie Evan Marshall.

The D-backs and Braun have a bit of a history, dating back to the 2011 National League Division Series. Braun had a great NLDS against the D-backs, though later it would be revealed that he'd tested positive during the series for performance-enhancing drugs.

D-backs manager Kirk Gibson has spoken out on at least two occasions about Braun, and at one point last year said he hoped to one day get to talk to the slugger, because he had a question he wanted to ask him.

Marshall's first pitch of the at-bat sailed behind Braun, though catcher Miguel Montero was able to get a glove on it to keep it from going to the backstop.

"With a base open, you try to get a hitter to leave his comfort zone to swing at your pitch, and my pitch is to go down and in, and it got away," Marshall said.

Home-plate umpire Ted Barrett walked to the mound and talked to Marshall.

"He asked what happened, and I told him that the ball slipped, just like it did, and he gave me a ball and didn't say anything. He just returned to the plate," Marshall said.

The next pitch hit Braun in the buttocks.

"We know the way the game works," Braun said. "I wasn't surprised I got hit; I was surprised I got hit in that situation and circumstances, with the go-ahead run at second base and the tying run at third base, and they were ahead. I was a little surprised by that. But we hit a couple of their guys -- it wasn't intentional, but that's the way the game works sometimes."

"It's ridiculous, and it's overreacting," Lucroy said. "To me, if they want to protect their guys, fine, but I really didn't understand doing it right there in that situation. It is what it is. It worked out for us, and we'll go into tomorrow."

Marshall received fist-bumps and high-fives in the dugout; the first came from Gibson.

"We weren't going to leave it out over the plate," Gibson said when asked about how the D-backs tried to pitch Braun in that situation.

The fact that Marshall threw behind Braun with the first pitch and hit him with the second after two of his teammates had been hit by pitches led some to conclude that the pitch was intentional.

"The game plan there with guys in scoring position, we're trying to create some soft contact, and my best stuff is to sink down and in," Marshall said. "A ball got away and got him, and that's what happened."

Gibson was asked if he thought his pitcher needed to hit someone after two of his players had been plunked.

"I'm not going to comment on that," Gibson said. "You've been around the game long enough."

After Marshall was ejected, Brad Ziegler came on, and Lucroy hit his first offering for the grand slam.

"It just feels good to get the win," Lucroy said. "Whether it's quote-unquote payback, I'm not about revenge or payback. I'm about winning the game."

Lucroy was asked if there would be any carryover for the rest of the series, as two games remain.

"I don't see any reason why people would -- we're not going to do anything," he said. "We're not trying to hit anybody. If they want to hit us, fine. We'll get on base and drive them in. I don't care. If you want to hit me, fine. I get hit all the time. I don't care. Whatever."

And Braun didn't bite when asked if he thought the hit-by-pitch was Gibson paying him back for 2011.

"You'd have to ask him," Braun said. "I wish him the best. I hope he finds peace and happiness in his life and is able to enjoy his life. I wish him the best."